Monday, August 11, 2008

Friday, August 08, 2008

My, my, my...haven't my brother & sister gotten themselves into quite the predicament??? I've tried to tell them. Suck it up and just get along. But that little white dog is quite the stubborn b*tch. They need to be more like me...sweet & peaceful. I stay out of trouble.

So I wanted to thank you guys for being such great friends and making Mom & Dad feel better. Mom's eyes have been pretty leaky...and no matter how many times I snort in her face, show her my wiggly kidney bean dance or give her nose kisses, I can't cheer her up like you guys can. She even got these beautiful flowers from my BFFand her family and that REALLY made her smile!

Sherman is going to stay with Grandma & Grandpap for a couple of weeks. They're not going keep him forever because they have a lot of stuff on their plate. And Baron keeps them on their toes. So while he's away, Lola has to go to the V.E.T. (shhhhh, don't tell her, she doesn't know yet) to make sure there's nothing wrong with her thyroid or anything else, for that matter. And Mom's friend Lilian, who is a trainer from Animal Friends is going to come to our house and put us on a training program. Now I know this sounds kinda crappy, but Lilian is pawesome and always has lots of great, smelly treats with her. Training = liver brownies. W00T! You're all probably thinking...doesn't your Mom do this training stuff too? Well, yes she does, but she wants an outside observer to see if she's missing anything. Another set of eyes never hurts apparently.

If everything goes OK and Lola doesn't become Miss Bitchy pants with me (and I will kick her little white butt if she does...I don't start the fights, but I DO finish them!) then she & I will live happily ever after on Jackman Ave forever. And if not...um, we don't want to talk about that.

Now what about Sherman?? Well, don't feel too bad for him. He's going to be living with our Auntie Kristen when she moves into her new house next month!! Mom is super excited because it's only 5 minutes from our house and we can see him a couple times a week. Or everyday, if we want!!! See, here's the thing...I actually kinda like Sherman. Sometimes when Mom & Dad aren't looking, I give him kisses and try to get him to play with me...not that he ever does. But I'd like to go see him sometimes too.

So that's the plan for now. Subject to change at any point, of course. If you guys could all cross your paws that it works, you'd make my day! And Sherman's. And Lola's.

Monday, August 04, 2008

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post an update on our little situation. You all have been so wonderful with your words of encouragement and support. Scott & I don't know what we'd do without you guys.

Sherman spent a week at Scott's parents house & had a blast. He was in total heaven there. They are home all day so he got tons of attention and 2 walks per day. Their dog, Baron and he got along great and I think it was really nice for Sherman to get out of the hostile environment that had become our house.

While he was gone, the girls had no issues. Penny is pretty passive and is very good at being the peacemaker. Lola just loves her and they pretty much played non-stop.

Sherman came home last Sunday & it was very evident things had not changed. We kept them separated with baby gates and Lola was always on a leash when Sherman was in same room as him. She aggressed at him 3 times...totally unprovoked. I've been watching them like a hawk and he did growl at her once (Sherman is very vocal and has been growling at her to leave him alone for 2 1/2 years. He's an old man & likes his space). The other two times, she basically launched at him from just being in the same space. They are completely separated when we are not home (they can't even see each other) but when we can supervise, they are able to view each other through the gates. Lola repeatedly gives him hard stares and low growls and I know she would hurt him if given the chance.

Quite frankly, he's petrified of her. He hides if he think she's coming. He won't look at her. He won't come anywhere near me if he can see her, even if she's behind a gate. He's just not himself. Poor guy...

Sherman & Penny are generally OK with each other. We allow them to be together if we are there and other than some major avoidance, they are fine. They even slept in the same bed together (ours!) last night.

We have asked Scott's parents if they would consider taking him in permanently. They were going to think about it over their vacation and let us know sometime this week. This is the best case scenario for all involved. But as I mentioned before, it's a big commitment and I don't know if they want the responsibility of 2 dogs again.

If that is the case, we have to start looking for a home for Lola. This is not a healthy situation for any of us. We can only manage this situation so well and I don't have it in me to crate & rotate forever. The stress of fearing Lola could slip through a gate or someone could accidently let them together is way too much for me to handle indefinitely. I honestly believe that if they get into it again, Sherman will end up very seriously hurt. Especially if I'm home alone and cannot break them up.

I should also mention, I took Sherman in this week for a check up and our Vet feels he's in perfect health. We thought he could be sick & Lola was just taking full advantage, but the big lug has a lot of life left in him. For those of you who asked, she'll be 3 in October and is spayed. I will be taking her in for a thyroid check and other tests if we keep her.

I'll be sure to be better about keeping everyone updated. I know we haven't commented much on everyone's blogs but we read them every day. We're still around...just trying to work through this mess. Thanks again for all of the support.